Justice Crew head off on US tour with ambitions of topping One Direction

AUSSIE dance music troupe Justice Crew say they'll be as big as One Direction.

On the eve of the chart-topping group's assault on the highly lucrative but super competitive American market, Justice Crew's Emmanuel "E-man" Rodriguez tells Insider they plan on taking their music to the top internationally.

"For the next five years at least all the boys are sure we want to smash Justice Crew to be just as big as One Direction," says Rodriguez. "We are like a family."

Their last single, Boom Boom, was one of the biggest pop hits of 2012, peaking at No.1 on the ARIA Chart and registering sales of five times platinum (meaning more than 350,000 copies).

They've also enjoyed success with singles Sexy & You Know It, And Then We Dance, Friday To Sunday and Dance With Me.

From the beginning, many dismissed Justice Crew's singing abilities but the boys have been determined to prove their critics wrong.

"I would have to say a lot of people doubted us knowing we were just a dance crew," says Rodriguez. "Out there we just wanted to prove to Australia that we didn't want to be a fad or a phase so we just worked hard and this opportunity came along to do music and then that was pretty much it and we worked hard."

After touring with Pitbull (Armando Perez) last year, the boys signed to the American's independent label, Mr. 305 Inc, with the backing of major player, RCA.

They'll head over to the US next month to begin a tour of more than 25 shows, from Chicago to New York and Miami.

"The way Pitbull wraps is the way he talks," says Rodriguez. "He is such a down to earth person and he is really business savvy and he wants to make sure Justice Crew does really well over there and wants to help us harness our potential."

Rodriguez says he and his bandmates are "pumped" about the American tour.

"We are going to go over there and show we can dance and sing so you could say we are like seven Chris Browns and they are gonna be shocked," he says. "We want this to be long lasting and if we break it over there, we can break it in any other country. This is the next big step."

Justice Crew's current track, Best Night, was co-written by local artist Miracle and British singer songwriter Jay Sean. The boys then put their spin on the song, which is climbing the Aussie charts.

"We had our input on the song," says Rodriguez. "A few words changed so it was a team effort."

As well as touring, the group has a surprise collaboration in the works but aren't keen on giving too much away.

"Everyone is going to love it because it has a special feature," Rodriguez says.

"It will be a surprise."

Looking much further ahead, Rodriguez admits the boys may pursue other interests as well as solo music careers. Some may look at acting while others are keen on working in television.

"In time, when we get a little bit older, some boys want to peel off into different industries," says Rodriguez. "Right now though, we are going to smash it. That's the cool thing about our group because we all love what we do as a crew. Even if someone does there own thing, we will support them and Justice Crew will be around forever."